Doug Barron granted testosterone exemption

Doug Barron, who became the first player to run afoul of the PGA Tour’s anti-doping regulations when he tested positive for a beta-blocker and testosterone in June 2008 and was suspended for the 2009 season, has been granted a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for testosterone by the Tour."I have submitted new medical information that meets the criteria set forth by the PGA Tour Therapeutic Use Exemption Committee and am pleased to announce that they granted me a TUE for testosterone that will allow me to treat my condition in compliance with the PGA Tour Anti-Doping Policy,” Barron said in a statement Thursday. “After now having completed my one-year suspension, I look forward to again being eligible to compete on the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour.”The beta-blockers, according to Barron’s lawsuit against the Tour, were to control anxiety brought on by a heart murmur, mitral valve prolapse, first diagnosed in 1987.Barron was diagnosed in 2005 with abnormally low testosterone, with what he contended was a reading of only 78, well below the normal range for his age. Low testosterone affects fellow Tour pro Shaun Micheel, among others, and leads to feelings of lethargy and depression.After an arduous four-month medical-review process, Micheel was granted a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for testosterone cream, his agent, Alan Bullington, told Golf.com last year. A TUE allows a player to continue using a banned substance for legitimate medical reasons.Unlike Micheel, who like Barron lives in Memphis, Barron failed to convince the Tour that his testosterone was so low it required supplementation. According to Barron and his lawyers, Barron's doctors said one thing and the Tour's said another, until now.Photo: Greg Nelson/SI